UK and USA students converge to discuss social media

UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 01 JULY 2014

Having the chance to work with other institutions and organisations from across the world is something that we strive to do, and students from Birmingham City Business School were able to do just that, at a recent social media masterclass.

The session entitled ‘Social Media: What Is It Good For’, was held at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations headquarters in London, and was organised by Kathleen Dixon Donnelly, Senior Lecturer in Public Relations, here at the business school.

She invited industry experts and students to the panel to deliver the tailored session, to visiting students and staff from the School of Communication at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, USA.  Working in teams, students challenged each other on the topic, by presenting and exploring both theory and real life scenarios to engage and enhance discussions.

Birmingham City Business School student, Rebecca Kerry, currently on a placement at Unilever, and Anton Perreau, a 2012 PR and Management graduate were both involved in the panel.  They were able to share their valuable expertise and knowledge from their own marketing backgrounds.

Rebecca Kerry said: “When I was asked to become a panel member at the CIPR I jumped at the chance. I showcased a real life brand campaign on Axe Apollo to show how social media was used  throughout the campaign, the Point Park students were really engaged in the session, they posed some fantastic (and challenging) questions & together we all created a strong learning session.”

Rebecca stated that this opportunity to contribute towards the Panel at the CIPR was a daunting but exciting experience as she was able to inspire others with her knowledge from her degree and placement experience.  It gave those involved the chance to bring new and refreshing ideas to the table and discuss factors that can influence how social media is perceived.

“Having three different panellists also worked really well, it was great for the students to see both commercial & agency side interactions. I believe that this session was a wonderful experience for everyone involved and I would encourage us to all adopt more sharing sessions in the future.”

Pictured: Left to right: Rebecca Kerry (Birmingham City Business School student), Kathleen Dixon Donnelly (Senior Lecturer in Public Relations and event organiser), Pamela Mounter (Visiting Lecturer in Public Relations) and Anton Perreau (Account Manager at Battenhall, and Birmingham City Business School graduate).

Photograph taken by Holly Tonini, Photojournalism student, Point Park University, Pittsburgh, USA.

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